Rylee Trlicek hurled three shutout innings against the Bulldogs offense and Avery Goelz’s two-run home run in the 5th inning lifted Florida to a series victory over Georgia.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The 15th-ranked Florida softball team captured the series over No. 12 Georgia with an 8-7 victory in game two of the series Saturday afternoon at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. UF will look to claim its first Southeastern Conference series sweep of the season Sunday at 12 p.m. (ET) on SEC Network+.
The Gators (31-10, 8-6 SEC) and the Bulldogs (32-10, 11-5 SEC) slugged it out in a back-and-forth affair this afternoon, but it was Avery Goelz’s two-run home run in the bottom of the 5th inning and another outstanding relief appearance by Rylee Trlicek (10-2) that proved to be the difference.
Trlicek entered the game in the top of the 5th inning and hurled three-complete innings to earn her 10th win of the year. The Hallettsville, Texas native allowed only one hit and threw 31 total pitches in the effort, while Goelz provided the heroics with her first home run of the season with a two-run shot to right field that gave UF an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning.
Florida opened the game and took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the 1st inning via a two-RBI double to right center from Charla Echols that plated Kendra Falby and Skylar Wallace. Wallace reached via a leadoff walk and Falby notched an infield single. The duo also earned a stolen base before Echols’ gap shot off UGA starting pitcher Madison Kerpics.
Reagan Walsh pushed the lead out to 3-0 and plated Echols with an RBI single to left field.
Georgia bounced back to record a pair of unearned runs in the top of the 2nd inning, but Florida’s Skylar Wallace answered the call and extended the Gators lead out to 4-2 with her fourth home run of the series.
The Bulldogs responded and took their first lead, 5-4, in the top of the 3rd inning on Sydney Kuma’s three-run home run, but the lead vanished when the Gators returned to the plate in the home half of the inning. Pal Egan led the frame off with a single to right field and Sam Roe reached on a fielder’s choice, where UGA tried to retire Egan at second but the throw was late and the Bulldogs shortstop quickly fired a throw back to first that was wild.
The mistake allowed Egan and Roe to move to second and third, which set the table for Katie Kistler’s RBI single through the right side and Bryn Thomas’ RBI groundout to first base that gave Florida back the lead 6-4.
Georgia retook the lead, 7-6, in the top of the 4th inning after a walk and a two-run home run by Jayda Kearney.
The lead didn’t last long as Trlicek shutdown the UGA offense, which allowed for Goelz’s home run heroics.
The two teams are set to play their series finale Sunday, April 16, at 12 p.m. ET on SEC Network+.
Notables:
* UF improved to 44-30 all-time against Georgia and secured its second-straight SEC regular series victory over the Bulldogs and the first regular season series victory at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium since the 2017 season.
* The Gators improved to 5-0 in game two of each SEC series this season and secured their third SEC series victory with today’s win over Georgia.
* Skylar Wallace extended her hit streak out to six games after she went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored.
* For the series against Georgia, Wallace is 5-for-6 with four home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored.
* Wallace has reached base safely in 36 of the 37 games played this year and has produced at least one hit in 17 of the last 19 games played.
* Kendra Falby (3-for-4) secured her team-leading 15th multi-hit game of the year and produced her fourth three-hit game en route to a four-game hit-streak.
* Sam Roe (1-for-4) & Pal Egan (1-for-3) are currently riding five-game hit streaks after each collected a hit in today’s win.
* Charla Echols notched RBI 48 & 49 after he belted her team-leading 12th double of the season with a shot to right center in the top of the 1st inning.
* Avery Goelz belted her first home run of the season and the third of her career to give Florida an 8-7 lead with a two-run shot over the right field wall in the bottom of the 5th inning.
* The multi-RBI game is her eighth multi-RBI game of the year.
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